Professor Elaine Reese, Our People, Department of Psychology, University of Otago, New Zealand

Elaine Reese

Email elaine.reese@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 479 8441

Professor Elaine Reese is the co-leader of Kia Tīmata Pai (To Start Well), a national intervention trial with BestStart early childhood centres funded by the Wright Family Foundation. She previously served as the Education Domain Leader on a longitudinal birth cohort study, Growing Up in New Zealand. Elaine has authored over 130 papers and a book for parents, Tell Me a Story: Sharing Stories to Enrich Your Child’s World (Oxford University Press). She is a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi and has received grants from the Marsden Fund, the Children’s Research Fund of the Ministry of Social Development, and the National Institute of Child Health and Development in the US.

She has served as Editor of the Journal of Cognition and Development, and on the editorial boards of the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, Cognitive Development, Infant and Child Development, Narrative Inquiry, and Reading Research Quarterly.

Elaine joined the Department in 1993. She has over 30 years of university teaching experience, at both graduate and undergraduate levels.

Teaching

PSYC 422 Contemporary Issues in Psychology
PSYC 428 Culture and Development

Research interests

The development of children’s and adolescents’ autobiographical memory, language, and literacy
Social influences on children’s development, especially the way that parents’ and teachers’ conversations enrich children’s language and socioemotional development

Find out more about Professor Reese's research interests

^ Top of page

Publications

Zajac, R., Garry, M., Charlton, S., & Reese, E. (2023). Scholarship amid sheep: Applied cognition research in Aotearoa New Zealand. Journal of Applied Research in Memory & Cognition, 12, 43-47. doi: 10.1037/mac0000109

Garnett, M., Reese, E., Swearingen, I., Peterson, E., Salmon, K., Waldie, K., … Bird, A. (2023). Maternal reminiscing and children’s socioemotional development: Evidence from a large pre-birth longitudinal cohort study, Growing Up in New Zealand. Journal of Cognition & Development. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/15248372.2023.2192276

Bakir-Demir, T., Reese, E., Sahin-Acar, B., & Taumoepeau, M. (2023). How I remember my mother’s story: A cross-national investigation of vicarious family stories in Turkey and New Zealand. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 54(3), 340-364. doi: 10.1177/00220221221132833

Reese, E., Barrett-Young, A., Gilkison, L., Carroll, J., Das, S., Riordan, J., & Schaughency, E. (2023). Tender Shoots: A parent book-reading and reminiscing program to enhance children’s oral narrative skills. Reading & Writing, 36, 541-564. doi: 10.1007/s11145-022-10282-6

Marshall, S., & Reese, E. (2022). Growing Memories: Benefits of an early childhood maternal reminiscing intervention for emerging adults’ turning point narratives and well-being. Journal of Research in Personality, 99, 104262. doi: 10.1016/j.jrp.2022.104262

Reese, E. (2013). Tell me a story: Sharing stories to enrich your child's world. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 241p.

Authored Book - Research

Suggate, S., & Reese, E. (Eds.). (2012). Contemporary debates in childhood education and development. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 352p.

Edited Book - Research

Reese, E. (2017). Encouraging collaborative remembering between young children and their caregivers. In M. L. Meade, C. B. Harris, P. Van Bergen, J. Sutton & A. J. Barnier (Eds.), Collaborative remembering: Theories, research, and applications. (pp. 317-333). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/oso/9780198737865.003.0018

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E. (2015). What good is a picturebook? Developing children's oral language and literacy through shared picturebook reading. In B. Kümmerling-Meibauer, J. Meibauer, K. Nachtigäller & K. J. Rohlfing (Eds.), Learning from picturebooks: Perspectives from child development and literacy studies. (pp. 194-208). Hove, UK: Routledge.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E. (2014). Practical tips for conducting longitudinal studies of memory development. In P. J. Bauer & R. Fivush (Eds.), Wiley handbook on the development of children's memory. (pp. 1044-1050). Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E. (2014). Taking the long way: Longitudinal approaches to autobiographical memory development. In P. J. Bauer & R. Fivush (Eds.), Wiley handbook on the development of children's memory. (pp. 972-995). Malden, MA: Wiley Blackwell.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E., Taumoepeau, M., & Neha, T. (2014). Remember drawing on the cupboard? New Zealand Māori, European, and Pasifika parents’ conversations about children’s transgressions. In C. Wainryb & H. E. Recchia (Eds.), Talking about right and wrong: Parent-child conversations as contexts for moral development. (pp. 44-70). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E. (2013). Culture, narrative, and imagination. In M. Taylor (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of the development of imagination. (pp. 196-211). Oxford University Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E. (2012). The tyranny of shared book-reading. In S. Suggate & E. Reese (Eds.), Contemporary debates in childhood education and development. (pp. 59-68). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E., Sparks, A., & Suggate, S. (2012). Assessing children's narratives. In E. Hoff (Ed.), Research methods in child language: A practical guide. (pp. 133-148). Chichester, UK: Wiley Blackwell.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E., Yan, C., Jack, F., & Hayne, H. (2010). Emerging identities: Narrative and self from early childhood to early adolescence. In K. C. McLean & M. Pasupathi (Eds.), Narrative development in adolescence: Creating the storied self. (pp. 23-43). New York: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-89825-4

Chapter in Book - Research

Schaughency, E., & Reese, E. (2010). Connections between language and literacy development. In J. Low & P. Jose (Eds.), Lifespan development: New Zealand perspectives. (2nd ed.) (pp. 59-71). Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E. (2009). The development of autobiographical memory: Origins and consequences. In P. Bauer (Ed.), Advances in child development and behavior (Vol. 37). (pp. 145-200). The Netherlands: Elsevier. doi: 10.1016/s0065-2407(09)03704-5

Chapter in Book - Research

Bird, A., & Reese, E. (2008). Autobiographical memory in childhood and the development of a continuous self. In F. Sani (Ed.), Self continuity: Individual and collective perspectives. (pp. 43-54). NY: Psychology Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E., Newcombe, R., & Bird, A. (2006). The emergence of autobiographical memory: Cognitive, social, and emotional factors. In C. M. Fletcher-Flinn & G. M. Haberman (Eds.), Cognition and language: Perspectives from New Zealand. (pp. 177-190). Brisbane: Australian Academic Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E., & Farrant, K. (2003). Social origins of reminiscing. In R. Fivush & C. A. Haden (Eds.), Autobiographical memory and the construction of a narrative self: Developmental and cultural perspectives. (pp. 29-48). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E., Cox, A., Harte, D., & McAnally, H. (2003). Diversity in adults' styles of reading books to children. In A. van Kleeck, S. A. Stahl & E. B. Bauer (Eds.), On reading books to children: Parents and teachers. (pp. 37-57). Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Chapter in Book - Research

Fivush, R., & Reese, E. (2002). Reminiscing and relating: The development of parent-child talk about the past. In J. D. Webster & B. K. Haight (Eds.), Critical Advances in Reminiscence Work. (pp. 109-122). New York: Springer Publishing.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E. (2002). A model of the origins of autobiographical memory. In J. W. Fagen & H. Hayne (Eds.), Progress in Infancy Research (Vol. 2). (pp. 215-260). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Chapter in Book - Research

Haden, C. A., Fivush, R., & Reese, J. E. (1998). Narrative development in social context. In A. Smorti (Ed.), Narrative Development. (pp. 133-152). Florence, Italy: Giunti.

Chapter in Book - Research

Fivush, R., Pipe, M.-E., Murachver, T. S., & Reese, J. E. (1997). Events spoken and unspoken: implications of language and memory development for the recovered memory debate. In M. A. Conway (Ed.), Recovered Memories and False Memories. (pp. 34-62). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Fivush, R., Haden, C., & Reese, E. (1995). Remembering, recounting, and reminiscing: The development of autobiographical memory in social context. In D. C. Rubin (Ed.), Remembering our past: Studies in autobiographical memory. (pp. 341-359). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Chapter in Book - Research

Fivush, R., & Reese, E. (1992). The social construction of autobiographical memory. In M. A. Conway, D. C. Rubin, H. Spinnler & W. A. Wagenaar (Eds.), Theoretical perspectives on autobiographical memory. (pp. 115-132). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic.

Chapter in Book - Research

Reese, E. (2006). Foreword. In J. Low & P. Jose (Eds.), Lifespan development: New Zealand perspectives. (pp. v). Auckland, New Zealand: Pearson Education.

Chapter in Book - Other

Journal - Research Article

Corkin, M. T., Peterson, E. R., Henderson, A. M. E., Waldie, K. E., Reese, E., & Morton, S. M. B. (2022). Examining the association between mothers’ life logistics and screen time of children aged 4 – 5 years old. Social Science Journal. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1080/03623319.2022.2081441

Journal - Research Article

Hazan, H., Reese, E., & Linscott, R. J. (2022). Basic self-disturbance in schizotypy. Early Intervention in Psychiatry, 16, 26-33. doi: 10.1111/eip.13125

Journal - Research Article

Mitchell, C., & Reese, E. (2022). Growing Memories: Coaching mothers in elaborative reminiscing with toddlers benefits adolescents’ turning-point narratives and wellbeing. Journal of Personality, 90, 887-901. doi: 10.1111/jopy.12703

Journal - Research Article

Riordan, J., Reese, E., Das, S., Carroll, J., & Schaughency, E. (2022). Tender Shoots: A randomized controlled trial of two shared-reading approaches for enhancing parent-child interactions and children’s oral language and literacy skills. Scientific Studies of Reading, 26(3), 183-203. doi: 10.1080/10888438.2021.1926464

Journal - Research Article

Timperley, S., Schaughency, E., Riordan, J., Carroll, J., Das, S., & Reese, E. (2022). Tender Shoots: Effects of a preschool shared book reading preventive intervention on parent–child reading and parents’ involvement in the first year of school. School Mental Health. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1007/s12310-022-09505-6

Journal - Research Article

Bakir-Demir, T., Reese, E., Sahin-Acar, B., & Tursel, E. G. (2021). Vicarious family stories of Turkish young, middle-aged, and older adults: Are family stories related to well-being? Journal of Applied Research in Memory & Cognition, 10, 412-424. doi: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2020.12.003

Journal - Research Article

Chen, Y., Cullen, E., Fivush, R., Wang, Q., & Reese, E. (2021). Mother, father, and I: A cross-cultural investigation of adolescents’ intergenerational narratives and well-being. Journal of Applied Research in Memory & Cognition, 10(1), 55-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jarmac.2020.08.011

Journal - Research Article

Corkin, M. T., Peterson, E. R., Henderson, A. M. E., Bird, A. L., Waldie, K. E., Reese, E., & Morton, S. M. B. (2021). The predictors of screen time at two years in a large nationally diverse cohort. Journal of Child & Family Studies, 30, 2076-2096. doi: 10.1007/s10826-021-01985-5

Journal - Research Article

Corkin, M., Peterson, E. R., Henderson, A. M. E., Waldie, K. E., Reese, E., & Morton, S. M. B. (2021). Preschool screen media exposure, executive functions and symptoms of inattention/hyperactivity. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 73, 101237. doi: 10.1016/j.appdev.2020.101237

Journal - Research Article

Hazan, H., Reese, E., & Linscott, R. J. (2021). Understanding poor adjustment in schizotypy: A prospective study of the role of self during late adolescence and early adulthood. Emerging Adulthood, 10(5), 1235-1246. doi: 10.1177/21676968211021759

Journal - Research Article

McAnally, H. M., Forsyth, B. J., Taylor, M., & Reese, E. (2021). Imaginary companions in childhood: What can prospective longitudinal research tell us about their fate by adolescence? Journal of Creative Behavior, 55(1), 276-283. doi: 10.1002/jocb.468

Journal - Research Article

Reese, E., & Whitehouse, H. (2021). The development of identity fusion. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(6), 1398-1411. doi: 10.1177/1745691620968761

Journal - Research Article

Reese, E., Gunn, A., Bateman, A., & Carr, M. (2021). Teacher-child talk about learning stories in New Zealand: A strategy for eliciting children’s complex language. Early Years, 41(5), 506-521. doi: 10.1080/09575146.2019.1621804

Journal - Research Article

Salmon, K., Isler, L., Jose, P., Glynn, R., Mitchell, C., Dewhirst, M., … Reese, E. (2021). Delving into the detail: Greater episodic detail in narratives of a critical life event predicts an increase in adolescent depressive symptoms across one year. Behaviour Research & Therapy, 137, 103798. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2020.103798

Journal - Research Article

Bakir-Demir, T., Reese, E., & Sahin-Acar, B. (2020). How three generations narrate their vicarious family stories: Intrafamilial similarities, gender and cross-generational differences. Memory, 28(4), 553-566. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2020.1749282

Journal - Research Article

Fivush, R., McAnally, H., & Reese, E. (2020). Family stories and family secrets. Journal of New Zealand Studies, 29, 20-36. doi: 10.26686/jnzs.v0iNS29.6259

Journal - Research Article

Leyva, D., Reese, E., Laible, D., Schaughency, E., Das, S., & Clifford, A. (2020). Measuring parents' elaborative reminiscing: Differential links of parents' elaboration to children's autobiographical memory and socioemotional skills. Journal of Cognition & Development, 21(1), 23-45. doi: 10.1080/15248372.2019.1668395

Journal - Research Article

Mitchell, C., Reese, E., Salmon, K., & Jose, P. (2020). Narrative coherence, psychopathology, and wellbeing: Concurrent and longitudinal findings in a mid-adolescent sample. Journal of Adolescence, 79, 16-25. doi: 10.1016/j.adolescence.2019.12.003

Journal - Research Article

Neha, T., Reese, E., Schaughency, E., & Taumoepeau, M. (2020). The role of whānau (New Zealand Māori families) for Māori children’s early learning. Developmental Psychology, 56(8), 1518-1531. doi: 10.1037/dev0000835

Journal - Research Article

Reese, E., Macfarlane, L., McAnally, H., Robertson, S.-J., & Taumoepeau, M. (2020). Coaching in maternal reminiscing with preschoolers leads to elaborative and coherent personal narratives in early adolescence. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 189, 104707. doi: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104707

Journal - Research Article

Schaughency, E., Riordan, J., Reese, E., Derby, M., & Gillon, G. (2020). Developing a community-based oral language preventive intervention: Exploring feasibility and social validity for families affected by the Canterbury earthquakes. Infants & Young Children, 33(3), 195-218. doi: 10.1097/IYC.0000000000000171

Journal - Research Article

More publications...